[Firehouse]

RosePike, here is what I wanted to get for you: a response to your message from the Chapter Advisor:

"It is always disappointing when you shoot for a goal and don't succeed. The chapter DOES run on momentum and morale so it hurts when people start to think that their efforts are not appreciated or valued. It is important to not let the boys dart off in the wrong directions - seeking solutions to correct what they see as an injustice. Keep doing the right things. If you keep doing the right things you will eventually have success. Brother Bobby Bowden took his football teams to 14 consecutive years of being ranked in the final top 4 of the Nation. During that time he won two National Championships. Almost every one of those years he felt they deserved to win the National Title. He understood though that the National Title was a subjective thing and to receive it he would need a measure of luck. To fans and alumni he would say, "We're doing the right things. We're up there every year around it. Eventually the luck will fall our way and we'll get it." Don't let the boys feel that they need to get big numbers at the expense of quality. They DO need big numbers, but only because numbers makes you strong. With large pledge classes comes a large chapter. A large chapter means a deeper talent pool, greater financial stability, and not every person is required to do every thing - the burdens can be shared - the best athlete doesn't have to give up being the IFC representative in order to lead the team. If you get a large number of super sharp guys in your fall pledge class the momentum from that will carry the chapter through the fall and into January. If they get a large pledge class of questionable guys, or a large pledge class, many of whom are questionable, it's a momentum killer! The brothers will be angry. They will want to drive the pledges off. They will not be proud of the pledge class. The sharp brothers will find other interests, outside of the fraternity, to occupy their time because thoughts of the fraternity will make them feel uncomfortable. Morale will plummet. Getting a pledge class, even a large one, that you can't be proud of is very, very bad! A large pledge class of outstanding guys is the key.
RUSH is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THE CHAPTER DOES! Perpetuating and improving ourselves is our most important task. Forget about personal growth programs - NOTHING IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN RUSH! RUSH IS EVERYTHING - EVERYTHING IS RUSH! Everything we do as a chapter, everything we do to enhance our reputation, to improve the perceived value of our fraternity membership, affects our ability to get the best pledges! Getting the best new members affects everything we do thereafter! The best guys create the best programs, provide the best leadership, comprise the best fraternity!

When freshmen arrive on campus they don't know anything about fraternities. They don't know what happened last year [good or bad]. All they know is what they see and hear. Fairness and truth have nothing to do with it. If you have a good reputation with the sororities, that will help. A freshman that asks a pretty girl if she knows anything about fraternities and, if so, which one he should join, will get the right answer. If he isn't likely to get the right answer, then you need to work on your sorority relations! I don't know how RUSH is conducted at Rose-Hulman [formal or informal, in the fall or delayed, etc]. However it is done, it is THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPETITION FOR THE FRATERNITY TO WIN! It IS a COMPETITION! The boys have to realize that! Rushees choose the fraternity they join for many different reasons - but they won't join a fraternity where they don't feel they have friends. It is vitally important that the boys are outgoing and friendly - approaching the rushee and initiating conversation. Not standing around in little brother only groups talking to each other! Be aggressive! Be imaginative! Be friendly! Figure out how to beat the other fraternities! Talk about it - how you're going to do it! If you try to rely on your reputation to bring you pledges you'll be disappointed. You get to be the best fraternity because you're willing to bust your ass to work for it! When you do that, you get the guys that are willing to bust their ass because they are in the best fraternity!
If the boys are insecure, remind them that reputation follows about a year behind reality. They had a great year last year. If they have great year this year, people [outsiders] will begin to notice.

Pump them up. Tell them that they have shown that they can do it with last years efforts. Tell them you know how they can get better still! In order to motivate my guys I used to tell them to imagine their chapter being air lifted and dropped into a highly competitive campus of great chapters - could they compete? [I always carefully choose my examples] Tell them to aspire to be like our great chapters on strongly competitive campuses like at Tennessee, Florida State, Virginia Tech, [fill in chapters here]. As long as they are trying to compete with other chapters on their own campus, they will never be significantly better than the other chapters on that campus. When they start to compete with the big dogs at other schools, then they are competing on a National level. THIS IS IMPORTANT: The IDEA of the better chapters that they can emulate is more important than the reality. If you think that you're the best thing going then there is no incentive to improve. If they look around and see that they are the undisputed champions - they need to find some competition real quick. I would not encourage trips to visit other great chapters. It is better to let them idealize the other chapters in their minds - reality is almost never as good. Plus, if they go to another chapter and aren't treated the way they would hope to be, it's a real disappointment. They don't stop to think that the guy they're talking to [and who is blowing them off] is just tired or not interested.

In order to get the morale and momentum up and moving the chapter needs to experience victories. It may be up to you to recognize victories and bring these to the Chapter's attention. It sounds to me like the chapter needs some recognition from National. Let me tell you how to get that. National recognizes a Scholar of the month every month. They can't do that unless someone applies and supplies them with the information. Apply! Send them information on a dozen guys! Maybe they'll choose one. Maybe they'll choose three! They can only work with what they know and no one ever applies for those things! National has similar recognition for other things. Do a little research. I'm behind the times because that's a trick I don't need anymore - but it's a good one.

Send in chapter information to the Shield and Diamond for every issue. Include pictures they can use of stud guys! Not only will that build morale in the chapter, it will also help bring the chapter to the attention of the people at National. If they keep hearing about the successes at Iota Delta, they'll start paying more attention [ if they DON"T hear about you, how are they to know?] If you want to be considered one of the best chapters, you have to do a little advertising.

The guys at National don't have time to pour through each Smythe application in depth. The first thing they do is eliminate any chapter that owes National money. If a chapter has had a major problem recently that will probably kick them off the table as well. After that, it's pretty subjective. The voters are going to be predisposed to vote positively for chapters that they know to be good. A chapter consultant might make them aware of a chapter that fills out reports well but is really weak but they can rarely sell them that a chapter is great if they never heard of it. You have to SELL the chapter to National. Get their attention. Do you just fill out the application or do you provide pictures? A picture [the RIGHT picture] is worth a thousand words! Don't just say "We won football intramurals!", give them a picture of a guy catching a pass over the head of another fraternity man! Show a big crowd giving a victory cheer around a jubilant team! Don't just say we had guest speakers, show a picture of a big crowd listening to a speaker - show that there was great participation. I've never sent an application to National that was in less than a 3" binder - give them something to look at! These are just tricks though - showmanship. They won't do you any good unless there is substance.

Challenge the boys to get better. Give them a reality check. To your boys I would point out that Pike is a very strong National fraternity with over 120 active chapters. We have a national reputation for excellence in our chapters and at the National level. If the boys want to compete, they have to get better! Ask them if they are the undisputed leaders on their campus [If you went up to ten random people and asked them who was the best fraternity, how many times would you hear "Pike" - if it's not at least seven out of ten, you don't dominate yet]. If they are not, ask them why they should expect to be named among the best Pike chapters in the Nation if they are not the best on their own campus? Winning intramurals is good! But everyone at the Smythe table wins intramurals every year! Like being the largest chapter on your campus, that's just part of the ante! If you want to get in the game you have to dominate! - consistently!

As chapter advisor you have to persuade - not dictate. That makes the job double tough. Enthusiasm is contagious though. If you can build enthusiasm in the chapter, that's money in the bank. It will also help them to listen to your advice. Hope this helps. Good Luck. phi phi"